Curtain fastener



J. VODICKA. CURTAIN FASTENER. APPLlcATmN man 0014, 192D. l

Patented Alug. 15, 19H29-` tllllt STATE eren onirica.

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Specicationof Letters Patent,

Patented Aug. 15, 1922.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that ll, JOHN VODIGKA, a citizen ot the United States, residing in Chicago, county of Cook, 'State o'lllinois, have inventedcertain new and useful improvements in Curtain Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to thatv class of fasteners which are employed for l'iolding the curtains of carriages, motor cars and the like in position, in which a socket is provided onthe frame and receives anent-ering member provided with a catch :for removably retaining` it within the socket, the enteringmember being secured to the curtain.

An object of the invention is to. provide such a fastener which will dispense with the unsightly and inconvenient projections and cavities commonly found in devices of this character and which may be readily and conveniently operated to secure, and release thev curtains when desired. j

ln the accompanying drawing and follow ing specification l have shown and described a preferred form oi my invention; it is to be understood, however, that the speciiic disclosure is for the purpose oi exem-l pliiication only and that the scope oi the in vention is deiined in the following claims, in which have endeavored to distinguish it from the prior art so :tar as known to me without, however, relinquishing or abandoning any portion or feature thereof.

.ln the drawing F ig. 1 is an axial section through a fastener embodying the preiterred form of the invention; Figs. 2 and 8' elevar` tions of details andligs. l and 5 axial sectional views of other details.

ln the specific i'orm .of the invention disclosed the socket a is adapted to bey let into the post or frame members t or a carriage or car body and the entering memberf. secured to the curtain. The socket member con prises a cup G of generally cylindrical shape, the bottom 7 oi which is formed with an in*- terior threaded periorationS which may receive a screw b i'or anchoringthe cup in the bore or hole made to receive it in the iframework of the car body. The edge of the cup is outwardly langed as at `9 to receive an annular rim member 10, the vouter edge oi' which is upset over the flange 9, and the inner periphery ot which is inwardly turned at 11 for engagement with the hooi-ts or' the entering member as will presently appear.

ed position.

The soclret member 6 contains a circular tol-y lower 12 which is pressed outwardly or away i'romlthe `bottom 7 by a spring 13 intermediate .the iollower and bottom, and when there is no entering member projecting into the socket the follower plate 12 is pressed by the said spring against the inwardly turned edge of the annular member 10 closing the socket against the entry of dirt or other ioreign matter and giving it a neat appearance.

The entering member comprises a cylin- Vdrical barrel 141- of a size to lit easily within the opening oi the annulus 10 and-the entering end thereof is inwardly' dished as at 15 ior increased strength. The other end of thebarrel 14 is openk and somewhat enlarged as at 16,' thus forming an inner shoulder at 17 and an outer shoulder at 18 ior purposes which will presently appear. The catches 19, 2O for engaging with the socket member are ulcrumed upon the inner shoulder 17 which is rounded oli for this purpose, the catchesl being provided with rounded reentrant surfaces 21 for engagement with 'saidshoulden Said catches at their remote ends are formed with hooks 22, 23 which normally extend beyond the cylindrical wall l j. 1

`or the barrel 1st which is slotted at its entering end as at 24 for this purpose.

vthe catches in projected position and for retracting them when desired are provided in a spring 27 and a hollow plunger or finger piece base 28 which latter normally projects beyond the endet the barrel and is reciprocable therein. rllhe outer end ol the linger piece or plunger is closed as at 29 and the spring 27 to which reference has. been made is located within the plunger and compressed between the end thereof and a hump or bulge 30 formed upon the catch v19. ltr/will thus be seen that the spring normally holds the plunger yin outer position and at the same time maintains the 'catches in project- The cylindrical wall of the plunger is provided at diametrically opposite locations with bayonet joint slots 31 through which the respective catches extend, and a shoulder 32 which serves to limit the outward movement o1E the plunger byy engagllO ing` the edge 33 ot' a perforation et washer through which the reduced end 35 o the 1)lunger reciln'ocates. The outer edge of washer 3l is turned over the edge ot' the flange 36 ol the eyelet 57 and the necklS of the latter extends under shoulder 18 ot the barrel. 'lfhe edge oi. the Ylabric 39 ot the curtain isclamped between flange 3b' and a washer l0 which is placed. over the neck ol' the eyelet and secured tirmly in place by upsettiiig the edge et the neck thereover.

ln assemblingl the curtain member the catches 19, are placed in position in the barrel 11i with their lower ends projectin` through the respective slots therein, the siningl 2T placed in position on the hump 30 and the plunger inserted in the barrel over the spring' and with the lower ends ot the bayonet slots over the respective catches. The plunger is then slipped into the barrel until the shoulders e1 ot the slots engage the respective catches and then partly turned to bring the upper legs ot die bayonet slots over the catches, this being the normal relative position oli these parts as shown in Fig. l, thus putting,` the spring,` 2 under compression, ln this position the shoulders 19a, 20 ot the hook members 19, Q0 rest upon the shoulders 35a ot the plunger and thus resist the action ot the springl when the latter has forced the hooks to the position shown in Fig. 1. The ring 1LL having been placed in position either before or after the above described assembling operation, the outer washer 3st is slipped over the reduced end ol the plunger into contact with the enlarged end of the barrel and the eyelet over the other end of the barrel, The outer edges of said washer and eyelet are then secured together as shown. rThis completes the assembling` ot 'the curtain member and it is then ready to be applied to the curtain by inserting the neck ot the eyelet through a perforation provided in the curtain for that purpose, puttingI the washer l0 over said neck and turningl the edge of the neck over the inner edge ot the washer, whereby the fabric is clamped between the edges et the washers lf-l. `10. rl`he assembling;r et the socket member is too obrious to need description.

The catch members are termed with cam surfaces Ll, la and when the plunger is depressed by the application oit the linger the shoulder al1 ot the respective slots ride down the cam surfaces of the catches and torce the hook ends of the catches inward. When the plunger is released the spring forces it outward and also 1orces the catches outward to the normal position shown in Fig. 1. The spri g 2T may be made either stronger or weaker in eii'ect than spring i3 and the action oit the fastener will dil'l'er accordingly, ll the spring 2T is made stronger than spring the Vrollower l2 will act merely as a closure without otherwise effectingthe operation or the fastener. lWith such construction when the curtain member is inserted in the socket the end ot thc barrel Yforces the follower down, the rounded. edges ot the, catches engaging` the annulu..l member ot. the sorket causing,` the former to yield inwardly until the hooks clear the inwardly extending flange ot the socket 11, when, it the plunger is not under p essure the catches spring out into the position shown. in Fig. l.. the plunger has been under pressure the cr hes assume the illustrated position as soon as the plunger is released. 'ifo release the curtain member trom the socket the former is grasped and the plunger depressed to withdraw the i atches and the entering member mi f be wi 1 from the socket. is herer ore stated, the. spring, 13 is superior in effect to spring 27 the curtain member be released merely by pressure upon the plunger and without grasping the curtain or the body ol' the curtain member, as soon as the catches are released by the pressure on the plunger the release of this pressure is lirst followed by the expansion ot the spring 13 which drives the entering.member out oi" the socket, the catches remaining retracted until this has been accomplished. lV ith this construction, therefore, to release the fastener nothing more is necessary than to exert the necessary pressure on the plunger. to withdraw the catches.

I claim- 1. .ln a curtain tast-ener a socket and an entering member having means for retain.- ing` it in the socket and a Jfollower in the socket adapted to close the opening therein when the entering member is witl'idrawn.

2. ln a curtain 'fastener and in combination with an entering` member a socket having an inwardly extending flange to be engagged by said entering member' a iollower reciprocablc in the socket adapted to engage said. tlanpe and a spring pressing; the ifollower toward said flange.

3. In a curtain fastener a socket, a tollower within the socket, a spring forcing the follower toward the mouth of the socket, a curtain member harii'ig a portion adapted to enter the soclet, a catch in the entering nember to engage the socket, spring; itorcing the catch toward engaging position and a plunger movable relatively to the catch for withdrawing,l the latter against the pressure et the spring.

ln a curtain fastener a socket member, a l'ollower therein, a sprinjr torcinp` the tol lower toward the opening ol a socket, an entering` member, a catch on the entering; member adapted to engage the socket, a plunger en ;faginpj the catch movable relative thereto to withdraw the catch and resilient means iter restoring the plunger and catch curtain member before the catches become` operative. y

5. In a curtain fastener a socket member, a follower adapted to close the opening in the socket member, a spring normally forc ing the follower to closed position, a curtain member having,` a portion adapted to enter said socket, catches in the entering' member adapted to engage'the socket and prevent the withdrawal of the entering member, a plunger engaging the catches and adapted when depressed to withdraw the latter from operative position and a spring intermediate the plunger and catches for restoring them to normal position when sure on the plunger is relieved.

6. In a curtain fastener a socket member, a follower adapted to close the opening in the socket member, a spring normally forcing the follower to closed position, a curtain pres- 1 member having a portion adapted to enter said socket, catches in the entering member adaptedto 'engage the socket and prevent the withdrawal of the enteringmember, a plunger engaging the catches and adapted when depressed to withdraw the latter from ntion with a socket, a curtain member comprising a slitted barrel, a pair of catches y mounted to swing in the barrel and to project through the slitted portion thereof into engagement with the socket, said catches being pivoted together, av hollow plunger mounted to reciprocate in the barrel and to Vengage said catches to withdraw the same into the barrel and a spring intermediate vsaid plunger and catches impelling them to normal position. OHN VODIOKA. 

